Offline Mac dictation,
no Wi-Fi required.
Offline dictation isn't a niche use case. It's airplanes, SCIFs, hotel Wi-Fi that turned hostile, ship cabins, classified work, areas where you'd rather not trust the network. Wispr Flow needs the cloud and stops working. Cluely too. The apps below all run without internet — sorted by which one we'd actually pick. Dollop is at the top: free, on-device on Apple Foundation Models, and the only one that doesn't park a multi-gigabyte model in your RAM.
Not every "on-device" app is fully offline. The bar to clear is whether the dictation flow itself runs with the Wi-Fi off — not just whether the model can run locally if you choose to.
Some on-device apps still call out to a license server, an analytics endpoint, or a cloud LLM cleanup step. The strongest offline tools have a dictation path that's verifiably network-free — Apple Foundation Models is built into macOS, no licensing call needed.
Whisper-based offline tools require you to download a 700 MB to 3 GB model first. Once downloaded, they work offline — but the first launch needs internet, and updates re-download. Dollop inherits Apple's foundation model from the OS, so there's nothing to download separately.
Raw transcription on-device is one thing. Cleanup (filler removal, punctuation, tone) often relies on a cloud LLM in cloud-based tools. Genuinely offline tools do cleanup locally — Dollop uses a tuned LoRA, Voibe uses rules + Whisper, VoiceInk skips it.
Yes — but they shouldn't be on the critical path. Dollop does check for software updates over the network when launched, but transcription itself works offline regardless of update state. Make sure your dictation app doesn't soft-fail when it can't reach a server.
Most comparison pages list ten features. Three of them matter when you're actually switching.
- Where does the audio go?
- On-device means your voice and the transcript stay on the Mac you're typing on. Cloud means audio is uploaded, transcribed remotely, and the text is downloaded back — usually with no way to know which providers see it on the way through. This is load-bearing for anyone touching client work, regulated content, or proprietary information.
- How much RAM does it actually take?
- The forgotten metric. "On-device" doesn't mean "free" — Whisper-based tools load 700 MB to 3 GB into memory while running. If you already have Cursor, Chrome, Slack, and a Docker container open, that matters. Apple Foundation Models is the only path right now to real on-device dictation at 0 GB.
- How clean is the cleaned text?
- Raw transcription is a solved problem — Whisper, Parakeet, and Apple's models are all excellent. The differentiator is what happens after: filler removal, punctuation, formatting commands, tone-matching to the active app. A tuned dictation model beats a generic LLM polish step every time.
| Tool | RAM | Audio leaves Mac? | Pricing | Cleanup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dollop | 0 GB | Never | Free | Tuned LoRA |
| Superwhisper | ~1.5 GB | Optional | $249 once | Generic LLM |
| Voibe | ~700 MB | Never | $9.90/mo | Whisper + rules |
| VoiceInk | ~2 GB | Never | Free / open-source | Optional |
| MacWhisper | ~1–3 GB | Never | €64 once | File-based |
| LumeVoice | ~700 MB | Never | Subscription | Whisper |
| Apple Dictation | ~0 GB | Never (Ventura+) | Free (built-in) | None |
RAM figures are approximate, measured at idle with the smallest model loaded. Dollop uses Apple Foundation Models — the OS keeps the model warm independently of the app, so the app itself contributes 0 GB beyond the OS baseline.
Dollop
Dollop is the voice OS I built for the Mac. It does four things, all on-device, all free: dictation (clean text pasted at your cursor in any app), an AI chat overlay (multi-turn, optionally screen-aware) for asking questions or rewriting, Little Overlay (⌃ A — a tiny floating glass pill that hears your selection, sees your screen, and answers in place for the one-shot question that doesn’t need a chat thread), and Meeting Notes (record and transcribe lectures, calls, and meetings with summaries and action items, fully on-device). It runs on Apple Foundation Models, the on-device LLM Apple ships with macOS 26, and ships with a tuned cleanup adapter trained specifically for the way people actually speak. Because Apple already keeps the foundation model warm in the OS, Dollop contributes 0 GB to your RAM footprint. Your audio never leaves the Mac. Completely free.
- Four pillars in one app: dictation, AI chat, Little Overlay, Meeting Notes
- Only Mac dictation app on Apple Foundation Models
- 0 GB RAM cost, the OS hosts the model
- Tuned cleanup adapter, not a generic polish step
- Meeting Notes: record + transcribe + summarize on-device
- Per-app tone (Casual / Formal / Excited)
- Completely free, no subscription, no premium tier
- Apple Silicon + macOS 26 only, no Intel, no Windows
- Apple Intelligence must be enabled
- New product, smaller community than Wispr or Superwhisper
Apple Dictation
Built into macOS Ventura+. On-device for supported languages, fully offline. The gap is the polish layer — no cleanup, no formatting commands, no per-app behavior. Dollop adds those layers on the same Apple foundation, also for free, also fully offline.
Superwhisper
$249 one-time, runs Whisper locally, fully offline once the model is downloaded. The mature pick if you want a polished commercial product that works on a plane.
- Mature, well-supported
- Local Whisper
- Cross-platform (Mac/Windows/iOS)
- $249 up front
- 1–3 GB RAM
- Initial model download required
Voibe
100% on-device using Whisper, sub-300ms latency, $9.90/month. Strong offline posture, but the subscription is online-required (can dictate offline, billing reaches you online).
VoiceInk
Free, open-source, runs Whisper locally. Once installed, fully offline. The right pick if you want auditable code and no cost.
MacWhisper
File-based transcription, €64 one-time, fully offline once installed. Different category (not live dictation) but useful for transcribing recorded interviews on a plane.
Hard requirement: Dollop runs on Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 26 or later. Most Macs sold since 2021 qualify. If you're on Intel, that's the constraint to plan around.
What is the best offline Mac dictation app?
Does Dollop work on a plane?
Will Apple Dictation work offline?
How much storage does an offline dictation app need?
What does Dollop actually do?
How much does Dollop cost?
Does Dollop work without an internet connection?
Can Dollop record and transcribe meetings or lectures?
Will Dollop work on Intel Macs?
Can I dictate into Cursor, VS Code, Slack, and other apps?
Can I install Dollop on a Mac that's already offline?
If you need dictation that works without internet — for compliance, travel, or just principle — Dollop is the cleanest answer on Apple Silicon Macs. Free, fully on-device, 0 GB RAM, no model to manage separately because Apple ships it with the OS.
Apple Dictation is the free fallback if Dollop's hardware requirement doesn't fit. Superwhisper and VoiceInk are the established Whisper-based offline picks. Anything cloud-routed (Wispr Flow, Cluely) doesn't work offline at all.